Briefing outlines a path for EU action to ensure the wider benefits of forest protection

A new briefing released today details what the European Union can do to ensure healthy forests contribute to local livelihoods, improved governance and to development and climate objectives.

The briefing – Healthy Forests = Equitable Livelihoods, Inclusive Development and a Resilient Climate – is endorsed by ourselves, Client Earth, Fern, Forest Peoples Programme and Transparency International.

It calls for adequate European support for protecting forests and strengthening the rights of forest communities, including ensuring effective implementation of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan and adopting additional measures to halt deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics.

More specifically, the briefing recommends that the European Commission, in cooperation with EU Members States, acts to:FLEGT

• reinvigorate support for Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) and the EU Timber Regulation implementation
• uphold human rights, including gender equality, in VPAs
• adopt additional regulatory measures to tackle the deforestation crisis and protect rights
• strengthen linkages between FLEGT and the climate and Sustainable Development Goals agendas
• use trade as a lever to support human rights and protect forests.